Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yonancy’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Yonancy’, characterized by its upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; daisy-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets; bright yellow-colored ray florets; and natural season flowering in early October in the Northern Hemisphere.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Yonancy’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yonancy’.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made in March, 1993 in Salinas, Calif., of the Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Anna, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,847, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 89-711002, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in November, 2000. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive floret coloration and good garden performance.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since January, 2001, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yonancy has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Yonancy’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Yonancy’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Daisy-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray         florets.     -   5. Bright yellow-colored ray florets.     -   6. Natural season flowering in early October in the Northern         Hemisphere.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Anna, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more uniformly mounded         than plants of the cultivar Anna.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about ten days later         than plants of the cultivar Anna.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than         plants of the cultivar Anna.     -   4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences         than plants of the cultivar Anna.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more mounding than         plants of the male parent selection.     -   2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum had fewer         ray florets than inflorescences of plants of the male parent         selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the male parent selection         differed in ray floret coloration as plants of the male parent         selection had lavender-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Yellow Jacket, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,244. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Yellow Jacket in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller than plants of         the cultivar Yellow Jacket.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one week later         than plants of the cultivar Yellow Jacket when grown under         natural season conditions.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had more uniform         inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Yellow Jacket.     -   4. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum resisted         fading longer than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Yellow         Jacket.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Yellow Sandy, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,759. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Yellow Sandy in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller and more         mounding later than plants of the cultivar Yellow Sandy.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one week later         than plants of the cultivar Yellow Sandy.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences         than plants of the cultivar Yellow Sandy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Yonancy’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of typical inflorescences of the cultivar ‘Yonancy’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Leamington, Ontario, Canada during the late summer and early fall in an outdoor nursery under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial garden-type Chrysanthemum production. One cutting was planted in a 15.25-cm container in mid-July, 2004. Plants were grown under natural season conditions. During the production of the plants, temperatures ranged from 10° to 32° C. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yonancy. -   Commercial classification: Daisy-type garden Chrysanthemum. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar             Anna, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,847.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number             89-711002, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten to twelve days             at 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form/growth habit.—Perennial herbaceous daisy-type             garden Chrysanthemum. Inverted triangle with mounded crown.             Stems initially upright, then outwardly spreading. Freely             branching with about 13 primary branches with lateral             branches potentially forming at every node. Vigorous growth             habit.         -   Plant height.—About 28 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 46 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 25 cm. Diameter: About 6 mm.             Internode length: About 1.1 cm. Aspect: Upright and             outwardly spreading. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.         -   Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length:             About 5.5 cm. Width: About 5.1 cm. Apex: Mucronate. Base:             Truncate. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses parallel to             divergent. Texture, upper surface: Slightly pubescent.             Texture, lower surface: Pubescent; veins prominent. Color:             Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: Darker             green than 147A. Developing and fully expanded foliage,             lower surface: Close to 147A. Venation, upper surface:             Between 146A and 147A. Venation, lower surface: Close to             146A. Petiole length: About 1.5 cm. Petiole diameter: About             5 mm. Petiole color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to             146A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescence form with elongated             oblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals             above foliage, arising from leaf axils. Ray florets             developing acropetally on a capitulum. Very freely             flowering, about 32 inflorescences per lateral branch.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower in early October in the Northern Hemisphere.         -   Inflorescence bud (before showing color).—Height: About             5 mm. Diameter: About 7 mm. Shape: Oblate. Color (lower             surface of phyllaries): More green than 147A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 4 cm. Depth (height):             About 1.5 cm. Disc diameter: About 1.3 cm. Receptacle             diameter: About 5 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated oblong; occasionally             spoon-like. Length: About 2 cm. Width: About 5 mm. Corolla             tube length: Variable, about 4 to 11 mm. Corolla tube             diameter: About 1.5 mm. Apex: Emarginate. Margin: Fused.             Texture: Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Surface: Concave to             mostly flat. Orientation: Initially upright, then about 40°             to 60° from vertical to eventually perpendicular to the             peduncle. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 72             in three to four whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface:             Close to 9A. When opening, lower surface: Between 9A and 6A.             Fully opened, upper surface: Between 9A and 6A. Fully             opened, lower surface: Between 9C and 6C.         -   Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, elongated. Length: About 5 mm.             Width, apex: About 2 mm. Width, base: About 1 mm. Number of             disc florets per inflorescence: About 74. Color: Immature:             Close to 144A. Mature: Apex: Close to 9A. Mid-section: Close             to 145C. Base: Close to 155D.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 22. Length:             About 8 mm. Width: About 3 mm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex: Acute.             Base: Truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface:             Smooth, waxy. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent. Color,             upper surface: Close to 146A. Color, lower surface: Darker             green than 147A.         -   Peduncle.—Length: First peduncle: About 2.5 cm. Fourth             peduncle: About 5.5 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Strength:             Strong. Aspect: About 45° from vertical. Texture: Pubescent.             Color: Close to 146A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther color: 12A.             Amount of pollen: Moderate. Pollen color: Close to 15A.             Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Style             length: About 5 mm. Style color: close to 145C to 145D.             Stigma color: Close to 12A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed.         -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum             have not been shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests             common to Chrysanthemums. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have been     observed to be tolerant to rain, wind and temperatures ranging from     0° to more than 38° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yonancy’, as illustrated and described. 